<strong>Baltimore, Md. and Dubai, United Arab Emirates &mdash; April 22</strong><br />Prometric, a global provider of technology-enabled testing and assessment services, has been chosen by CERT, the official certifying authority in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the guidance of the Ministry of Higher Education, to exclusively provide testing and assessment development and delivery services in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the other Emirates comprising the UAE. The collaboration agreement is a linchpin in Prometric&#39;s Middle Eastern expansion strategy that includes the recent launch of a Prometric subsidiary there. <br /><br />Under the agreement, Prometric will have exclusive access to all CERT educational institutes, including the 17,000 students enrolled in the UAE&#39;s Higher Colleges of Technology. The benefits to the people of the Emirates include access to some of the most prestigious certification and assessment tests in the world that are offered only through Prometric, including Microsoft, Project Management Institute, the Green Building Certification Institute and many others. The establishment of Prometric Dubai is a significant step toward Prometric&#39;s growth in the region. It will provide on the ground support to existing global contracts and lead efforts to develop new relationships in the quickly growing Middle East region. <br /><br />At a recent ceremony for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the organizations, Michael Brannick, president and CEO of Prometric, and Sheikh Nahayan bin Mabarak Al Nahayan &mdash; minister of higher education and scientific research, chairman of CERT and chancellor of Higher Colleges of Technology &mdash; agreed to collaborate on growing the assessment and certification industry in the United Arab Emirates. In addition to being the only CERT-approved exam delivery provider, Prometric will also be the only organization working together with CERT to support the Ministry of Higher Education in developing exams that set the standard for skills measurement in various areas. <br /><br />"The signing of this exclusivity agreement and the creation of Prometric Dubai will serve as strong catalysts to Prometric&#39;s growth in the region; at the same time, they will foster development in the Emirates by providing citizens with new access to certification," said Brannick. "These two components are critical steps in our move toward global expansion through partnership and collaboration. It was my honor to meet Sheikh Nahayan bin Mabarak Al Nahayan, and it will be our privilege to partner with CERT and to work with the Ministry of Higher Education to bring new opportunities to the United Arab Emirates." <br />